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Do we have room at the Inn? The 3rd Service Experiment by April Undy

April Undy is a member of the Board of Foothills Unitarian Church

This time of year we’re all about the nativity story. A homeless couple, the young woman laden with child, need a place to rest, to give birth to their child. A family that represents the joy of new life. A child, who unbeknownst to those around him, will be the light of the world.

Why didn’t someone make room for them? There were reasons, logical reasons, good reasons. The rooms were booked. The lodgings were over crowded. They didn’t want to inconvenience their other guests. The family was poor, they might not be able to pay their way. There was no way for the inn keepers to know how special this family was, no ability to see how special every family is.

Reasons? No. Excuses. Always excuses.

There are a people who don’t make excuses; people who see what needs to be done, and do it, even if it’s uncomfortable, even if it’s challenging, even if it’s hard.

We claim those people. We are those people.

We are people like Martha and Waitstill Sharp*, Ed Cahill**, and locally, Sue Ferguson***.

We are a called people. We come together not because doctrine says we must, but because we choose to. We, as individuals, have discerned a need within ourselves, a need in the world, to come together to worship and be of service. We are a people who answer the call. We act. We make room. We are comforted together. We are powerful together.

We are called again, now. More people are finding us. More people see that they need what we offer. We are being asked to make room at our inn. We are being asked to be uncomfortable, challenged, perhaps even, inconvenienced.

How do we answer that call?

We make room, even when it seems like there’s no more room to be had. In the case of crowded Sunday mornings at Foothills Unitarian, we are experimenting with a 3rd service on Sundays to accommodate the larger crowds coming to Sunday morning services. We know that this is not the end, it’s not the only way, but it’s something we can try, right now, with what we have.

Please, answer this call. Try a different service, especially if you don’t have children in R.E. Volunteer to help during service. Three services means we need 50% more volunteers to help with the Welcome Desk, making coffee, and ushering. This is an experiment, if nothing else, we will learn something from it. More importantly, we will be telling each other and the larger community something.

“You are important. We care. We want you here. We are willing to make room for you.”

“ Please come in.”

*Martha and Waitstill Sharp who, supported by their congregation and the American Unitarian Association went to Europe before and during WWII to support persecuted people and with the aid of many others facilitate the immigration of refugees.

** Ed Cahill, the minister whose North Caroline church’s open membership policy was reported in the local paper on the same day in 1954 as the Supreme Court handed down its decision on Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka.

*** Sue Ferguson, Foothills Unitarian Church member, Faith Family Hospitality board member. Faith Family Hospitality opens our physical space to homeless families during the week so that families may stay together, and facilitating more a more stable situation for those families.